Committee on Animals and the Law

About the Committee on Animals and the Law

Legal issues with animals occur in several arenas: housing, real estate, health, agriculture and business, to name only a few. Attorneys have only recently begun practices that include animal law, which makes it one of the more exciting fields of law. This website provides information for Committee members, attorneys and members of the public who have an interest in the growing field of animal law.

This Committee was originally conceived by the late Lorraine Power Tharp, past president of the Association, who wanted to highlight the growing field of Animals and the Law and to educate the profession, specifically the membership, about the issues that arise in the law in relation to animals.

Gagging a Movement? Understanding “Ag Gag” Laws and How They Affect Free Speech, Privacy Rights and the Protection of Animals. Presented by experts in their fields, this program will provide a detailed analysis of the inception of “ag gag” laws. Topics to be covered will include: the enactment and enforcement of “ag gag” laws; constitutional concerns over potential infringement of First and Fourteenth Amendment rights; the criminalizing of historically utilized investigative techniques to expose animal cruelty and the effect on the protection of animals and the animal welfare movement, as well as, environmental pollution and public health; and the struggle between the need to inform consumers and protect animals and the rights of a multi-billion dollar agricultural industry.